Call for Participation: National Food Safety Education Month

The National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF) encourages restaurant and foodservice professionals to participate in the 11th annual National Food Safety Education Month this September.This year’s theme “Keep Hands Clean with Good Hygiene” focuses on proper handwashing procedures and how to emphasize their importance within the workplace. To help restaurant and foodservice establishments reinforce these safe handwashing practices, the NRAEF is including a coupon for a free Hygiene Essentials kit to anyone who purchases the ServSafe Essentials textbook (English with Exam Answer Sheet) now through October 2005 (while supplies last).With support from Ecolab and FoodHandler Inc., the NRAEF developed a hygiene kit to provide operators with the tools to help them teach proper handwashing techniques to all employees. The Hygiene Essentials kit includes:

• Hand sanitizer (sponsored by Ecolab)
• Disposable gloves (sponsored by FoodHandler Inc.)
• Laminated English/Spanish handwashing sign
• ServSafe logo bandanna
• Training pages from the ServSafe Employee Guide on hand-washing and using gloves properly
• Hygiene Essentials Kit implementation sheet.

“We are thrilled to offer yet another great way for operators to get involved in National Food Safety Education Month,” stated Mary M. Adolf, president and chief operating officer of the NRAEF. “Food safety is such a crucial issue within the restaurant and foodservice industry, and National Food Safety Education Month is a great time for operators to showcase all that they do to ensure safe food handling. Thanks to Ecolab and FoodHandler, Inc., we have been able to provide these operators with even more tools to ensure the food they serve is as safe as possible.”The NRAEF's ServSafe training and certification program is recognized by more federal, state and local jurisdictions than any other food safety certification. More than 2.4 million foodservice professionals have been certified through the ServSafe Food Protection Manager Certification Examination, which is accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Conference for Food Protection (CFP).For more information on how to order ServSafe Essentials and receive a coupon for the free Hygiene Essentials Kit (coupon expires January 31, 2006 while supplies last), call your state restaurant association, your distributor, or the NRAEF at 800-765-2122 ext. 701 and ask for product code ESX3 or ESX243 for a case of 24, or visit the NRAEF’s website at www.nraef.org/servsafe/hygiene. For more information on National Food Safety Education Month, visit www.nraef.org/nfsem.